The Modern Dispatch
Superhero Adventure Outlines
by Phil Reed
This issue of the Modern Dispatch features five
short adventure outlines for RPGObjects Blood
successfully complete this encounter are listed here.
& Vigilance. The adventure outlines were written
Additionally, some negative effects of the adventure
to inspire both quick encounters and full-length
 when appropriate  are included in this section.
adventures in the GM s campaign. As with all game
material  and especially adventure supplements
#44
Characters mentioned within these adventures are
 the information in this PDF should be rewritten and
not detailed herein and should be replaced  where
modified as the GM sees fit. These are not rigid plots
appropriate  with characters already existing in the
that must be followed but, rather, simply suggestions
GM s campaign. These adventure outlines are not
for adventures and distractions during a larger
ContentżÿManager:żÿ
meant to disrupt the GM s campaign but, rather, to
adventure.
philżÿreed,żÿchrisżÿdavis
provide the GM with a source of ideas.
Layout:żÿ Each adventure outline is presented as follows:
For more superhero adventure material please
ChrisżÿDavis
consider Ronin Arts Superline series. Though
Adventure Title
written for another superhero game the adventures
Summary: A very short description of the events and
found in the Superline series can be easily adapted to
characters involved.
Blood & Vigilance or any other superher roleplaying
game.
Set-Up: The scene before the action begins. This
section details not only where the adventure will
Open Game Content
take place but also when and how the heroes become
All text in this PDF with the exception of the product
involved.
identity, is presented as open game content. While
Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying
this means absolutely nothing to your campaign it
Adventure: These are the events of the adventure
Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
does give other publishers permission to use this
or encounter in question. Notes on the tactics and
material as long as they follow the open game license
goals of the NPCs, as well as information on how the
d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are
(see the end of this book).
heroes may win the encounter, are detailed here.
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the
United States and other countries and are used
Follow-Up: What happens when the dust clears. This
About the Author
with permission.  d20 System and the  d20
includes both immediate and long-term effects of
Philip Reed has been working professionally in
System logo are trademarks of Wizards of the
the adventure. Future adventure possibilities may be
the roleplaying game industry since 1995. In that
Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms
easily drawn from this section.
time he has worked for such companies as Atlas
of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy
Games, Privateer Press, and Scrye magazine. Today
of this License can be found at www.wizards.
Rewards: Bonus XP, equipment, and social rewards
Philip spends his days at home running Ronin Arts,
com/d20.
that the player character heroes may enjoy if they
writing and designing new games, and watching
SuperherożÿAdventureżÿOutlines
Page 1
The Modern Dispatch
DVDs. To learn more about Philip Reed  and Ronin answers are vague and cryptic and First Warning
Arts  please visit www.roninarts.com and www. does not answer every question that is asked. Some
philipjreed.com. possible questions the heroes may ask  and the
answers the being will give  include the following:
Who are you?
The Adventures
I am First Warning, viewer of the future and servant
of the cosmos.
A Warning from the Stars
Why are you here?
To give you warning of your world s coming
Summary
destruction. Flee this world immediately.
An alien appears over the city and issues a dire
proclamation.
Who is the  scourge of the cosmos?
It is the ancient terror that has plagued all existence
Set-Up since the previous age of reality.
As the player character heroes are locked in battle
with a supervillain a powerful booming sound erupts How do we defeat the  scourge?
high above them. Anyone that looks up will see You cannot. It is a force of the cosmos and a part of
a streak of white light approaching the city at an the fabric of existence. You must flee or it shall take
unearthly speed and, seconds before the beam strikes your soul.
the heroes, the light stops moving and a glowing
humanoid hovers twenty to thirty feet above them. After 10 minutes the being thanks the heroes for
Almost instantly the being speaks. their time, reminds them that they must remove all
life from the Earth, and then flies into space. First
 Residents of this world heed my warning! The Warning cannot be followed or tracked.
scourge of the cosmos comes for your souls.
Abandon this world or face a terrible fate. If First Warning is attacked he flies fifty feet into
the sky and explodes in a blinding flash of light that
Though the battle may continue it will likely stop knocks everyone within three miles prone and leaves
when the visitor from another world begins speaking. them stunned and blinded for 3d6 rounds. No save
The heroes opponent will attempt to slip away allowed. This is a plot device and there is no game
during the encounter with the alien. mechanic, power, ability, or action that can save the
heroes from this blinding attack. First Warning then
shoots into the stars and leaves the world. He cannot
Adventure
be followed or tracked.
This is an information gathering encounter and not
a combat. If he is not attacked, the being  who
calls himself First Warning if anyone thinks to ask Follow-Up
him his name  will remain in place and answer The event was captured on film by a local news team
some questions for roughly 10 minutes. The being s and for 2d6 days the city is gripped in a state of
SuperherożÿAdventureżÿOutlines
Page 2
The Modern Dispatch
panic. The public demands protection and thousands Suddenly, meteors begin streaking from the sky,
look to the heroes for answers and protection. slamming into the city and causing a massive public
The Cosmic Catastrophe
Any investigation into First Warning and his dire panic. There s not a cloud in sight but high above the
During the summer of 1992 a terrible solar
prediction, including research and communication clouds  visible only to those that succeed a DC 35
storm washed across the Earth, knocking
with other beings and worlds in the cosmos, end in Spot check  is a lone figure hovering in place, arms
out communications, electrical power, and
dead ends. outstretched. Storm Center has returned.
numerous other utilities and services for almost
a week. This global event, quickly dubbed the
After 2d6 days the panic subsides  the public still
Cosmic Catastrophe by the media, also had
Adventure
demands answers but not as strongly as they did
the unexpected effect of seriously draining
Storm Center is a powerful supervillain that has
before  and after another week the people of the
the powers of most of the Earth s heroes and
not been seen since the early nineties  many
world have all but forgotten the event. While the
villains. Almost one hundred super-powered
have assumed that the villain died in the Cosmic
heroes may continue to seek out answers regarding
beings were killed during the event, many of
Catastrophe, a major event that nearly destroyed the
First Warning and his prediction of disaster, there s
them by angry citizens who were looking to the
world in 1992 (see box). Storm Center s goal is to
no information to be found . . . at this time.
heroes for assistance during the crisis, and even
disrupt activity in the city and to announce his return.
more by the sudden loss of their powers.
If no hero interferes with the supervillain s assault on
Rewards the city he will continue to rain meteors on the city
It took the world months to recover from the and
If the heroes attack First Warning they each lose for 2d4 minutes after which he ll fly away.
no matter how much energy and money has been
1,000 XP. If the heroes expend the time and energy
put into trying to track the source of the crisis
necessary to reassure the public after the event they If any heroes fly up to encounter Storm Center, he
not a soul on the Earth knows what caused it.
are each rewarded 500 XP (this is in addition to any will cease his meteor strike and engage the heroes.
Or, for that matter, how to protect the Earth from
XP normally awarded by the GM at the end of an Storm Center will fight until he is stunned at which
the event should it ever occur again.
adventure). point he will summon a massive lightning storm
and attempt to escape in the clouds and powerful
Some of Earth s mightiest heroes  and most
weather. Storm Center does not fight to kill but if he
Meteor Storm dangerous villains  were lost during the crisis.
sees a chance to brutally destroy a hero he will take
Those whose bodies were never found were
it. Storm Center is not here to fight but, merely, here
assumed to have survived but over a decade
to be seen. He will not take any risks that may land
Summary
after the event anyone still not spotted in public
him in jail. The GM must ensure that Storm Center
A quiet afternoon in the city is shattered when a
is assumed dead.
escapes after a few rounds of combat with the heroes.
sudden rain of meteors breaks out.
While it is likely that many took the opportunity
Follow-Up
Set-Up
the crisis presented to retire it s difficult to
Once Storm Center escapes it will be time to deal
It s one of those beautiful spring days when the
accept the dozens that were never found all
with the destruction on the ground. For every minute
weather is perfect, the sun is bright, and winter and
chose to retire at once.
Storm Center spends raining meteors on the city there
troubles are forgotten. As with almost everyone else
are 1d4+1 problems for the player character heroes to
in the city, the player character heroes are enjoying
What the Cosmic Catastrophe was, and whether
contend with. The following are just a few samples
the weather. Maybe they re in the park. Maybe
or not it will ever occur again, remains a
of the types of problems that the heroes may find
they re at the zoo. Maybe they re just taking a walk
mystery.
themselves dealing with after Storm Center s meteor
through the city.
storm.
SuperherożÿAdventureżÿOutlines
Page 3
The Modern Dispatch
A child has been trapped in a car. A meteor struck the These intruders are not here to die and, if disabled,
Registration Debates
car and its intense heat has fused the doors shut. The will surrender to the heroes.
child is unharmed but cannot escape.
Summary
Follow-Up
A meteor struck a fire hydrant and now water is A public debate between senators  one pro-supers
As soon as the battle is over government troops
filling the streets and sidewalks. The player character registration and one against the idea  is brought to
enter the scene in full combat gear and with support
heroes must cap the geyser before any serious a screeching stop when a supervillain and his armed
vehicles. They ll take claim of Bloodbath and his
damage is caused. thugs attack the theater in which the debate is taking
crew and any player character heroes that interfere
place.
will immediately be marked as enemies of the state
A bus was struck by a large meteor and is now on
 this designation is all the troops needs to arrest
fire. Several people are dead, several are injured, and
Set-Up anyone. The troops will move quickly to the nearest
few are acting rationally. The player character heroes
For years the government has debated forcing super- military base, prisoners in tow, as quickly as possible.
must rescue the survivors and extinguish the flames
powered beings to register but, so far, nothing has
before any more deaths occur.
been signed into law. Unfortunately for the supers If the heroes check in on the senators a few days
of the United States, the recent terrorist attacks of after the incident they ll be politely thanked for
One building was hit hard and is now barely standing.
2001 has generated increased support for the pro- their assistance. This meeting could either swing a
Rocks and debris fall from the sides of the building
registration movement and it appears that it s only a pro-registration senator to their side (assuming the
as people attempt to evacuate the structure before
matter of time before registration is the law. meeting goes well) or turn an anti-registration senator
it collapses. If the building falls it is likely to cause
against them (again, depending on how the meeting
a serious amount of damage to the surrounding
The heroes, either in their secret identities or in full progresses).
buildings and anyone unfortunate enough to be
costume, are attending this latest in a long string of
within a few blocks radius. The heroes can either
debates. As the night wears on the senators and the
Rewards
try to prevent the building from collapsing or clear
crowd become increasingly agitated and, at one point,
If either of the two senators in the debate are killed
the building and surrounding area of citizens before
blows are exchanged in the audience. As the melee
the heroes each lose 1,000 XP. If the player character
the building falls. A team may choose to work both
in the crowd is ending an explosion rips through
heroes capture Bloodbath they each immediately gain
options.
the main doors to the theater and Bloodbath steps
500 bonus XP.
through the smoke.
Rewards: If the heroes fly up to deal with Storm
For each member of the audience that is killed in the
Center they each gain 500 bonus XP (this is in
Adventure event the pro-registration movement gains dozens of
addition to any XP normally awarded by the GM at
The heroes must stop Bloodbath and his crew  there new supporters. Even if the heroes manage to save
the end of an adventure). An additional 250 bonus
is one thug for each player character hero at the every member of the audience the movement gains
XP is awarded to any player character hero that is
debate  from killing the senators and citizens in the new supporters  it appears to be only a matter of
particularly brave during the aftermath of the meteor
audience. Security forces will assist the heroes as best time before registration becomes law.
storm  the GM may choose to select this player
they can but it s imperative that the heroes move the
character on his own or allow the group to vote on
battle outside before anyone is killed. Bloodbath and If the heroes meet with a pro-registration senator a
which hero deserves the bonus.
his crew will start the proceedings by attacking the few days after the debate  and if they manage to
nearest citizens, attempting to kill as many innocent swing the senator to their side  each hero gains 500
people as possible before the heroes reach them. bonus XP (this is in addition to any XP normally
awarded by the GM at the end of an adventure).
SuperherożÿAdventureżÿOutlines
Page 4
The Modern Dispatch
police could have handled the situation, the crowd must continue to assist in rescue operations as they
Storm Center s Influence
will chant. attempt to dissipate the cloud before it can affect too
many more of the city s citizens. When the cloud
Summary If the heroes rescue the man the crowd will cheer is first released 1d6+4 citizens are affected, each
An unidentified man dressed in a poor imitation of and they ll be proclaimed heroes by the media and one dropping to the ground and dying  immediate
Storm Center s costume appears on the roof of a praised for the next 1d6+1 days. The police will take medical attention is required or else they will die.
downtown building, demanding the city submit to his the crazed man away and he ll be given psychiatric Each round after the cloud is released an additional
will or he will destroy it. treatment for several years to come. 1d4 citizens are affected (and dying). The heroes
must capture the flag and transport it into space,
disperse it with powerful winds (a DC 20 Control
Set-Up Rewards
Weather check), or find some other way in which to
While working their day jobs or otherwise occupied, If the heroes saved the man they ll gain a +2
destroy the cloud. The GM should be prepared to
the player character heroes hear reports that a crazed circumstance bonus to all Charisma checks for as
reward quick-thinking, inventive uses of powers and
man in a cheap imitation Storm Center costume is long as the media continues to praise them (see
abilities.
disrupting business and traffic downtown. Reports above). The heroes may choose to check in on the
indicate that the man is making wild demands and a man; any heroes that do so immediately gain 100
large crowd has formed in the area. The heroes must bonus XP. Follow-Up
find a way to excuse themselves from their current For each citizen that dies each hero receives a  1
obligations and rush downtown to deal with the penalty on all Charisma checks for the next 3d4 days.
Train Derailment
situation before something terrible happens. If this penalty exceeds  20 (more than twenty people
have died in the accident) the heroes suffer 2 points
Alternatively, if the heroes do not have secret of Charisma damage. It will take the city 1d10+5
Summary
identities or jobs, they ll be called to the scene by days to clean up the disaster minus one day for each
A train carrying hazardous materials derails in the
authorities or stumble across the event while on their hero that assists in the cleanup efforts.
city, disrupting traffic and threatening the safety of
routine patrol of the city. No matter how they come
thousands.
across the event, things become very dangerous as
Rewards
soon as costumed heroes enter the picture.
If the cloud does not kill any citizens the heroes
Set-Up
involved in the encounter immediately gain 500
During the early morning commute, just as the heroes
Adventure bonus XP. In addition to this bonus each hero also
are making their way to their day jobs, a train passing
Once the imitation Storm Center sees even one gains 500 bonus XP (this is in addition to any XP
through hits a city bus and instantly leaves the tracks.
costumed hero he leaps from the building screaming normally awarded by the GM at the end of an
The resulting accident kills a handful of people,
that he ll never be captured alive. The heroes must adventure).
injures many more, and leaves the city gridlocked.
grab the man before he falls to his death.
The heroes make their way to the site and begin
If the heroes assist in the cleanup efforts each one
assisting emergency workers. Suddenly, without
involved gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Charisma
warning, one of the derailed cars explodes, belching a
Follow-Up
checks for a number of days equal to two times the
black, noxious cloud into the sky.
If the player character heroes fail to catch the
number of days the cleanup effort required. To gain
man he ll die  on camera  in front of the eyes of
this bonus a hero must spend at least 12 hours each
everyone  the crowd immediately turns hostile,
Adventure
day assisting in the cleanup.
screaming and threatening the heroes. While the man
This encounter rapidly changes from a rescue
may have been insane, he didn t need to die. The
scene to a containment nightmare. The heroes
SuperherożÿAdventureżÿOutlines
Page 5
The Modern Dispatch
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formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and other Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the
visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of characters, ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity Modern Dispatch #44 2005, Ronin Arts; Author Phil Reed
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License: Modern Dispatch, Blood and Vigilance..
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SuperherożÿAdventureżÿOutlines
Page 6